Daisy Chain
by FaithinBones
Summary: Booth's friends and co-workers worry about how he will react when he finds out that Brennan may have accepted a marriage proposal from someone else.
1. Chapter 1

(After The Bones That Weren't)

Okay, Mychakk wanted a story continued from chapters 73 and 74 of Hannah stories. I thought about it and this is what I came up with. Some of you may have already read the first two chapters of this story. If so feel free to skip to chapter 3. This will not be a long story.

You should be used to me doing this by now.

I don't own Bones.

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Sitting in Brennan's office, helping her fill out reports for the last case they'd worked on, Booth suddenly felt nauseous. Launching himself from his chair, Booth ran into Brennan's private bathroom and threw up in her toilet. Retching, Booth held his hands propped on the bowl. Brennan, watching from the doorway, waited until the retching started to slow down. Booth, certain that his stomach was empty became very concerned when he couldn't stop heaving. "Something's wrong Bones. I can't seem to stop."

Nodding her head, Brennan left the office and soon returned. Handing him a bottle of Emetrol, she gave him a spoon. "Take a spoonful Booth. This should stop it."

Gasping, Booth straightened up and poured a spoonful of the liquid onto the spoon and then swallowed it. Placing the bottle on the sink, Booth leaned over the sink and stared at the bottle.

His stomach calming down, soon found the nausea diminished. Sighing, Booth shook his head, "Wow that was bad."

Biting her bottom lip, Brennan asked, "Has this happened before?"

Nodding his head, Booth leaned over the sink and ran some water onto his hand. Splashing it on to his face, he answered, "Yeah, four days ago. I threw up and just couldn't stop. I must have stayed in the bathroom for a couple of hours before my stomach quit heaving."

Concerned, she asked her partner, "Did you go to the doctor?"

Grabbing a paper towel, Booth shook his head, "What for? It's just a virus?"

Biting her bottom lip, Brennan stared at Booth as he rinsed his mouth out. The cup he used trembling in his hand, Brennan suddenly became nervous. "I think you should consider going to the doctor."

Shaking his head, Booth responded, "Nah, it's okay."

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He'd finished eating twenty minutes earlier when he suddenly found himself nauseous. Running into his bathroom, Booth found himself throwing up. His head pounding, he held onto the toilet bowl and shuddered as he heaved and heaved.

Hannah, following Booth into the bathroom, asked, "What's wrong?"

Trembling, Booth swallowed, "I just have a bug, it's okay."

Frowning, Hannah asked, "Did you go to the doctor?"

Reaching over and grabbing the new bottle of Emetrol he had brought home earlier, Booth broke the seal on the bottle, poured some in the cap and swallowed the liquid.

Puzzled, Hannah asked, "What are you taking?"

Frowning, Booth held his hand against his sore stomach, "Something to help me stop throwing up."

Concerned, Hannah asked, "Wait, this has happened before?"

Swallowing hard, Booth leaned over the sink and rested his head on his arms, "Yeah, three days ago."

Frowning, Hannah advised, "I think you need to go to the doctor."

Shaking his head, Booth muttered, "It's just a damn virus."

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The next evening, Booth went through the same agonizing evening that he had the previous night. After spending a couple of hours in the bathroom, Booth walked out of the room on trembling legs. Making his way to the living room, he collapsed on the couch and leaned back.

Hannah, watching Booth, finally remarked, "I really think you need to do go to the doctor."

Swallowing, Booth nodded his head, "Yeah, I made an appointment with a neurosurgeon this morning. Bones called and talked me into it. I'm going to see him tomorrow."

Shocked, Hannah asked, "A neurosurgeon? Why are going to see one of those?"

Sighing, Booth replied, "I had brain surgery 17 months ago to remove a brain tumor. Bones is worried that it may have grown back."

Shaking her head, Hannah asked, "I don't understand, you had brain surgery 17 months ago and you didn't bother to tell me? That's serious, why didn't you tell me about it?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth replied, "Because it was 17 months ago and I've been fine up until now."

Crossing her arms, Hannah replied, "Clearly you're not fine. How could you could keep something like that a secret from me? Something like that would affect my life not just yours. You should have told me."

Staring at the ceiling, Booth placed his hands over his eyes and groaned, "God my head hurts."

Frowning, Hannah asked, "Would you like some aspirin?"

Nodding his head, Booth replied, "Yes, please. . . I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Hannah. I just didn't want to think about it coming back. It was bad enough the first time. I hope I don't have to go through that again."

Leaning towards him, she asked, "What do you mean?"

Rubbing the heels of his hands against his eyes, Booth answered, "The headaches, memory loss, it was bad for weeks. I had hallucinations before the surgery. I saw stuff. It was just bad. Bones was the one to figure out I had a problem. She just wants me to go see my surgeon to make sure I'm okay or not. She thinks . . . I need to make sure."

Nodding her head, Hannah left the couch and retrieved some aspirin and water for her lover.

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Booth, nervous for most of the day, drove over to the doctor's office only to find Brennan waiting for him in the parking lot. Approaching her, Booth smiled, "Hey, what are you doing here?"

Waiting for him to get closer, his partner smiled nervously, "I want to be here for your tests, if that's alright with you."

Relieved, Booth nodded his head, "Thanks, Bones. You know I don't know what the hell those guys are talking about when they start talking about radials and Jurassic bones."

Studying Booth's face, Brennan nodded and smiled, "Yes, I know."

Surprised that Brennan hadn't corrected him, Booth became more nervous than he had been previously. His hands trembling a little, he took a deep breath, "So, let's go in."

Placing her hand on his arm, Brennan squeezed it, "I think it will be alright, Booth and if isn't we'll get through this together."

Swallowing, Booth grasped her hand, "Thank you."

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Arriving at his apartment later that evening, he found Hannah waiting for him. "What did your doctor say?"

Sitting on the couch next to her, he frowned, "Well, I have two tests that I need to do tomorrow morning. The MRI was acting up and they needed to call in a tech. Once I have that done I should know for sure whether or not it's back or not."

Staring at Booth, Hannah sighed, "And if it's back?"

Puzzled, Booth responded, "If it's back then more surgery. I don't exactly have a lot of options."

Rubbing her hands together, Hannah cleared her throat, "Seeley, I've accepted an overseas assignment. I know this is bad timing and all; but, well, these things can't be helped. You understand don't you. I'll be leaving in the morning. I'll be gone for a year or two; so, I think it would be best if we just ended our relationship. Don't you think so? You understand right?"

Staring at her, he pursed his lips, "Yeah, I understand."

Nodding her head, Hannah leaned over to kiss Booth. Booth leaning away, responded, "I'm not an idiot Hannah." Standing, Booth sighed, "I have someplace I need to be. I guess you'll be gone when I get back."

Frowning, Hannah replied, "You're angry. I have a job Seeley. I go where the job takes me. I don't have to leave until the morning. I thought we'd have one more night together."

Snorting, Booth rammed his hands in his pants pockets and walked down the hallway towards the apartment door.

A little angry, Hannah called out, "When will you be back?"

Not answering, Booth opened the door, exited his apartment and slammed the door behind him.

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Sitting in Brennan's office, Booth smiled, "Hah, I told you it wasn't anything to worry about."

Smiling, Brennan beamed at Booth, "I'm so happy for you, Booth. Now that we know it isn't a brain tumor, we still need to find out what the problem is. Are you still throwing up?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth looked a little sheepish, "Well, uh, I talked to Dr. Burnside after he gave me the good news and he wants me see a food allergist."

Surprised, Brennan asked, "A food allergist?"

Nodding his head, Booth crossed his legs and stared at his knee, "Yeah, he was concerned about the nausea and the headaches and he was telling me that he has a food intolerance for fish so he asked me if I'd eaten any seafood lately. I thought about it and, well, every time I've been sick, I'd eaten some seafood about thirty minutes before I got sick. He wants me to talk to an allergist; but, he thinks I may have developed an intolerance for shellfish."

Embarrassed, Brennan shook her head, "I was so busy worrying about your past medical history, I never considered the possibility that you may have developed a new problem."

Laughing, Booth uncrossed his legs and leaned back in his chair, "God knows I thought the worse too, Bones."

Smiling, Brennan asked, "Have you told Hannah the good news?"

His face becoming an emotionless mask, Booth shrugged his shoulders, "Hannah left my ass the minute she heard the word brain tumor."

Angry, Brennan responded, "She left you? That is . . ." Sighing, she shook her head, "I'm so sorry Booth. You deserved better than that."

Suddenly smiling, Booth leaned forward, "I found out who really cares for me, Bones. I want to thank you for insisting that I go to the doctor and then going in with me to see him. I . . . Thank you."

Still angry, Brennan looked at Booth's clenched hands, "Booth, I'm sorry Hannah was a disappointment to you."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth noticed Brennan watching his clenched hands and relaxed them, "Yeah, that's okay. At least I know. So, want to go to dinner with me tonight to celebrate. Of course, we can't have any seafood; but, I'm game for anything else."

Smiling, Brennan replied, "Of course. We should celebrate."

Standing, Booth stared at Brennan, "You're one in a million Bones. I'll pick you up at your apartment tonight." Walking towards the door, Booth stopped. Walking back a few steps, he smiled shyly, "Bones, I'm just going to say this and then, well, I, uh, I love you. . . . I just wanted to say that. I'll see you tonight."

Staring at Booth walk away, Brennan called out, "Booth, I . . . I'll see you tonight."

Relived that Brennan took his declaration well, he smiled and left.

Brennan, sitting at her desk, thought about Booth's declaration and decided that this time was the right time. No more running and no more denying. This time, she was going to handle the situation differently and make them both happy.

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Reviews would be great. Let me know if you like this one. Thank you.

A/N: **Food Intolerance: **When a food irritates your stomach or your body can't properly digest it, that's an intolerance. You may have these symptoms:

Gas, cramps, or bloating, Heartburn, Headaches, Irritability or nervousness, Nausea, Stomach pain, Diarrhea, Vomiting


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for your patience and your reviews. I never know when a one shot is going to grow or not. It usually happens because of a lot of reviews and requests for more. I read every review and appreciate them all. As you can see, reviews do influence what I write.

I don't own Bones.

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Helping Cam with an autopsy, Brennan watched as her Boss removed what was left of the liver and weighed it. Once the liver was removed, Brennan leaned over the body and inspected the bones that were visible. "Booth's tests came back negative for a brain tumor."

Feeling her mouth turn instantly dry, Cam turned towards Brennan and swallowed, "What do you mean, his tests came back negative? What made Booth think he had a brain tumor?"

Using her fingers, she studied a groove in the left pelvic girdle, "He'd been having severe headaches, nausea and regurgitation for a few days; so, he went to his neurosurgeon for some tests. His surgeon ordered an MRI and that test showed that he's fine. The tumor hasn't come back."

Stunned, Cam sighed, "And no one thought to tell me what was going on?"

Looking up at Cam's exasperated face, the anthropologist shrugged, "He probably didn't want to worry you."

Shaking her head, Cam responded, "More likely he didn't want to admit to himself he might be in trouble. He has a tendency to ignore things he's afraid of. He thinks talking about evil conjures it up."

Staring at the body again, Brennan remarked, "I talked to him an hour ago. His surgeon would like him to see an allergist. It's possible that Booth has developed an intolerance to seafood."

Turning back and lifting the liver off of the scale, Cam asked, "So how did Hannah handle all of this, did Booth say?"

Clenching her jaw, Brennan answered, "Booth says the minute she heard the phrase brain tumor she left him."

Instantly angry, Cam ground her teeth, "That bitch."

Glancing at Cam, Brennan nodded her head, "Exactly."

Getting her temper under control, Cam watched Brennan move her fingers across the right side of the pelvic girdle, "How's Booth taking that?"

Staring at the bone, Brennan replied, "I'm sure he was quite angry at the time; but, since he didn't tell me about it until a few days after she'd left and his tests had come back normal, he was in a fairly good mood." Hesitating, she continued, "He asked me to go on a date with him this evening."

Surprised that Brennan was being so forth coming, Cam asked, "You and Booth are going on a date tonight?"

Nodding her head, Brennan smiled, "Yes."

Staring at Brennan, Cam smiled, "Good for both of you."

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Sitting at a table at the restaurant Zentan, Booth sighed, "I have never noticed how many sea food dishes there are on this menu. Do you think it's safe to eat stuff here? I mean, what if they cook my food in a pan that had seafood in it? Wouldn't that make me sick?"

Studying the menu, Brennan looked up at Booth's concerned face, "We will let the server know so he can tell the chef. I'm sure they have methods to deal with people who have allergies."

Shaking his head, Booth leaned forward, "I don't have an allergy Bones. It's an intolerance. Well maybe. I made an appointment with an allergist. I'm seeing her next week."

Smiling, Brennan patted Booth's hand, "It will make things easier if you tell the server you have an allergy. Most people don't understand what an intolerance is."

Nodding his head, Booth turned his gaze back towards his menu, "Got it."

After placing their order, Booth smiled at Brennan, "So, this is different, us going on a real date."

Sipping some wine, Brennan nodded her head, "Yes, it is. Just out of curiosity, what do you want to do on our date? You haven't said."

Biting his lower lip, Booth picked up his wine glass and quenched his suddenly dry throat, "Well, dinner and maybe we can go dancing or maybe to a club to hear some music or we could just go someplace quiet and talk or whatever you want to do. I really didn't plan this part out. I was kind of surprised you agreed to the date."

Interested, Brennan asked, "Why?"

Shaking his head, Booth moved his wine glass to the side and leaned towards Brennan, "Because I just broke up with Hannah. I mean . . . I don't know, I just thought you'd say no, that's all."

Concerned, Brennan stared intently at Booth, "But you did want to go on this date?"

Reaching over and placing his hand over her hand, Booth responded, "More than anything. Look, I've been making mistakes when it comes to us for over a year now. I pushed you when I shouldn't have and it just snowballed from there. It went from bad to worse to disaster. I want to stop all of that. I want to start over. I want . . . I would like you to consider . . . .Hell, Bones. I love you. I have for a long time. I've just never figured out a good way to tell you and not scare the bees out of you. I know you don't believe in love; but, I do and I just want to . . . God I'm screwing this up again. This is the Hoover all over again."

Placing her hand over their clasped hands, Brennan stared into his warm brown eyes, "Booth, this is not the Hoover all over again. We've been through too much to let that happen again."

Squeezing his hand, Brennan continued, "You say you love me. I can assume that means not in an atta boy kind of way."

Nervous, Booth shook his head, "No, not that way."

Removing her right hand from on top of his hand, Booth noticed her withdrawal and tried to withdraw his hand from her left hand; but, Brennan held his hand and refused to let go. "That's good to know, because I believe that I feel the same way as you do and not in an atta boy kind of way either."

Surprised, Booth smiled, "Really, I mean, uh, really?"

Carefully, Brennan responded, "Yes, when you started seeing Hannah I realized that I'd waited too long to talk to you about what had happened outside the Hoover. We both made mistakes that night and neither of us seemed to know how to fix it. Then the Taffet trial was upon us and my fears were suddenly front and center in my mind. I couldn't forget how close I came to losing you when the Gravedigger kidnapped you and that frightened me. I was afraid that some day, you'd be killed and I'd be alone. My future happiness depended upon you and that really frightened me. I took that Maluku assignment to get away from you because I thought I needed to separate myself from you; but, while I was in Indonesia I realized all I was doing was isolating myself anyway. I realized then that I could be alone without further risk or I could take a risk and consider a relationship with you, risking that someday something might happen to you and I would be left on my own. Once I thought about it I realized that I needed to chose between being alone now or maybe being alone later in my life. It seemed ridiculous when I saw my options. I was going to talk to you about it when I got back; but, I just couldn't find the strength to talk to you. Then, you and Hannah were suddenly living together and it was too late. It was a foolish mistake and one that I regret."

Suddenly placing his free hand over their hands, Booth interrupted her, "Stop, Bones. Let's just forget about our mistakes. We both just screwed up our moment back then; but, right now we have a new moment. Let's be careful with this one. I love you. Do you love me?"

Nodding her head slowly, Brennan bit her lip but didn't say anything.

Smiling, Booth squeezed her hand, "You don't have to say it. The nod is good enough for me. Let's just be us. Let's go on dates and get used to the idea that we are an 'us'. There isn't any reason to rush this. We'll just let this be our moment and we'll lets things happen naturally. No pressure. It will just be natural. I don't want you to feel any pressure to do anything you don't want to do."

Laughing, Brennan leaned towards her partner, "What if I want to have intercourse?"

Startled, Booth opened his mouth and closed it. Finally smiling, Booth asked, "Can we wait until after dinner? I am hungry and I haven't eaten all day."

Smiling, Brennan leaned down and kissed Booth's hand, "Of course. May we skip dessert?"

Smirking, Booth winked, "Oh, no. Dessert is just what I want."

Puzzled, Brennan frowned and then laughed, "I get it. Dessert is a metaphor for sex. That's . . ."

Standing up, Booth walked around the table, leaned down, put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her.

Some of the more alert patrons, started clapping.

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Reviews would be great thanks. Okay moving on. The next chapter should be posted in just a few miintues.


	3. Chapter 3

Mychakk prompt: that would be a fun continuation if someone from the restaurant knew them (by proxy or something) and told (either to someone at the Jeffersonian or at the FBI) that Booth proposed... ah, what would the squints do? Sweets would faint I'm sure! and what would the FBI do? (Cullen will win the pool about them getting together) and Caroline! and Max! And the gossip will spread all behind the backs of our power couple, who is unaware of the ruckus happening.

As you can see reviews and prompts can be very influencial.

This is a continuation of chapters 73 and 74 in Hannah stories. It's going to be a short story. I'm just not sure how short.

I don't own Bones.

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Holding her hands over her mouth, Daisy kept staring at Hodgins with wide eyed shock. Annoyed, Hodgins threw his hands up in the air, "Okay, tell me. I know you want to. Whatever you heard on the phone must be interesting if you're standing there like a vampire looking at the last human on Earth."

Removing her hands, Daisy gushed, "Oh, thank you Dr. Hodgins. I am going to just burst if I don't tell someone the news I just heard. I mean, I don't know what to say. I want to scream with excitement; but, I know I shouldn't and really . . ."

Interrupting the intern, the bug and slime guy was losing his patience, "Tell me or go away, Daisy. I have work to do and so do you."

Nodding her head rapidly, Daisy responded, "You know Piper McKenzie in the Bronze Age section? Well, she was in that wonderful Chinese restaurant, Zentan, last night and she saw Dr. Brennan there with a man. She doesn't know who the man is; but, she's seen him around the Jeffersonian a few times. Anyways, during the meal, the man stood up and kissed Dr. Brennan right there for everyone to see and some of the people there clapped their hands and Piper thinks that Dr. Brennan was proposed to and she must have accepted because Piper said that Dr. Brennan was smiling and she returned the kiss."

Finishing her tale, Daisy clapped her hands together and squealed.

Stunned, Hodgins stared at the squealing intern. Shaking his head, the shaken man stood up, "Daisy, quit screaming like that, you're going to break glass and Cam says we're on a budget." Running his right hand through his curly hair, Hodgins turned and walked across the platform.

Daisy, puzzled but still euphoric, called out, "But Dr. Hodgins where are you going?"

Glancing back, Hodgins replied, "Some of us have work to do, Daisy. I suggest you get back to work before Cam finds out you're just wasting time gossiping."

Embarrassed, Daisy nodded her head, "Oh, yes. You're right."

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Trotting into Angela's office, Hodgins grabbed his wife around the waist and spoke breathlessly, "Oh, Babe, you are not going to believe it; but, Dr. B may have got engaged last night."

Shaking her head, the artist sneered, "Yeah right. I watched the news a little while ago and they didn't report Hell freezing over today."

Guffawing, her husband kissed her and then smiled, "I got it from a good source. Dr. B and some guy were at Zentan and apparently he asked her to marry him right there in the restaurant and she accepted. She was recognized by the other people there and they clapped their hands and everything; so, what do you think?"

Placing her hands against her face, Angela responded, "Oh My God. She's always said that she didn't believe in marriage. Oh no . . . no, no, no, no. This is terrible. What do you think Booth will do when he finds out that Bren is getting married? Oh this is bad. This is very very bad."

Shrugging his shoulders, Hodgins remarked, "The guy is living with someone. He can't complain about it now."

Shaking her head slowly, Angela informed her husband, "You poor poor man. You are so uninformed. Booth broke up with Hannah a few days ago. Cam told me. Well, she didn't exactly tell me; but, I heard her on the phone with Paul and she told him about it. Apparently Booth had headaches and was sick and he thought he had a brain tumor again and as soon as Hannah heard the words brain tumor she bugged out."

Shocked, Hodgins grabbed his wife's upper arms, "Ange, are you kidding me? Booth has another brain tumor? Why didn't you tell me? Oh my God. . . "

Grasping Hodgins arms, Angela squeezed his arms, "Jack, Booth doesn't have a tumor. I said he just thought he had one. Bren says it might be a food allergy. You need to pay better attention. If you were to spread a false rumor about Booth he'd track you down and . . . well, I'm not sure what he would do; but, I don't want to find out either.

Relieved, Hodgins asked, "Whew. Don't scare me like that Babe. When did you find out about all of this going on? Why didn't you tell me?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Angela replied, "Bren told me about it before she went home last night. She called in sick this morning. . . . Oh, oh, that little scamp. She's not sick. She just probably had a late night last night with her fiancé . . . . This is going to kill Booth. I mean Hannah dumps his ass because she thought he was sick and now Brennan is getting married. This is just going to kill him."

Concerned, her husband asked, "Think I should go talk to Booth? I would hate for him to hear about Dr. B getting engaged from someone who doesn't care. I mean, I know he lived with Hannah for awhile; but, most of us knew that he was just acting out for some reason. I think it was some kind of mid-life crises shit. We knew it wouldn't last and then he'd be pining away again for Dr. B."

Uncertain, Angela stared at Hodgins, "Gosh, I don't know. Do you really want to be the one to tell him that Dr. B is off the market? He might just shoot the messenger for that one. You know how he is."

Rubbing his lips, Hodgins stared into his wife's eyes, "Okay, you're right." Snapping his fingers, he smiled, "I know, I'll call Sweets and tell him and then he can tell Booth. Yeah, I think that's the way to go."

Amused, Angela laughed, "Okay, wow. You found your sacrificial lamb pretty quick there, Jack."

Frowning, Hodgins responded, "Hey, Booth likes Sweets. He won't kill him. He might hurt him a little; but, he won't kill him."

Leaning over and kissing her husband, Angela smiled, "You're right. Booth likes the boy wonder."

Nodding his head, Hodgins pulled his phone out of his jacket, "I'll just call Sweets now and let him know. He needs to tell Booth before someone who isn't his friend does. I mean really, it's my civic duty. Someone has to make sure that Booth doesn't go postal. The guys a sniper after all."

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So, is this interesting? Want to see more?


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you so much for the all of the wonderful reviews. It seems that you want this story to continue.

I don't own Bones.

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Filling out a progress report, Sweets absently answered his phone, "Dr. Lance Sweets."

"Yeah, Sweets, this is Jack Hodgins. I think you need to sit down before I say anything else."

Irritated, Sweets replied, "I am sitting down. I'm busy Dr. Hodgins; so, if you could call me back when. . . "

Interrupting Sweets, Hodgins cried out, "Don't you dare hang up on me Sweets. I have something important to tell you."

Surprised, Sweets placed his pen down, "Okay, you have my undivided attention."

Relieved, Hodgins stared at his wife and shrugged his shoulders, "Okay look. A friend of mine told me that one of her best buds saw Dr. Brennan at a restaurant last night and she was with some guy."

Annoyed, Sweets replied, "So what? We all know Dr. Brennan dates occasionally."

Frowning, Hodgins snarled, "You didn't let me finish. The guy proposed to Dr. B. There were a lot of witnesses. You need to tell Booth before someone else does. You know he isn't going to take that well."

Sighing, Sweets responded, "Agent Booth is living with Hannah Burley. He can't possibly care if Dr. Brennan is getting engaged to someone else. They've both practically beat it into me that they aren't in love with each other. She's a free agent and so is he."

Grunting, Hodgins shook his head, "You're behind in the personal news there, Doc. Booth broke up with Hannah a few days ago when he told her that he thought he had a brain tumor . . . . Sweets, Sweets are you. . ." Staring at his wife, Hodgins shook his head and put his phone in his pocket, "He hung up."

Shaking her head, Angela replied, "I think it would have been better if you had told him in person."

Exasperated, Hodgins folded his arms across his chest, "Yeah, well hind sight is twenty twenty, Babe. You should have said something before I called Sweets. Now he's going to cry and get himself all worked up because he thinks Booth is sick."

Pointing at his pocket, Angela responded, "Call him back."

Shrugging his shoulders, Hodgins took his phone back out of his pocket and made the call only to hear voicemail come back. Staring grimly at his wife, Hodgins sighed, "Voicemail."

Closing her eyes, Angela remarked, "Sweets is going to get into so much trouble. Leave a message. Maybe he'll hear it before he talks to Booth."

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Walking rapidly into Booth's office, Sweets found Booth talking on his phone. Closing the door behind him, he walked over to the chair in front of Booth's desk and sat down. Glaring at Booth, Sweets crossed his arms across his chest.

Frowning, Booth spoke into his phone, "I got to go. Sweets just walked in and he's having a cow about something. . . . No, I don't know. . . . Okay, I'll see you later, bye."

Placing his phone down on his desk, Booth stared at Sweets.

Upset, Sweets asked, "When were you going to tell me?"

Puzzled, Booth shook his head, "Tell you what?"

Unfolding his arms, Sweets leaned forward and swallowed, "I just heard that you have another brain tumor. Booth, I'm your friend. You should. . . "

Interrupting Sweets, Booth held up his hands, "Whoa, whoa right there. I do not have a brain tumor."

Frowning, Sweets stared at Booth's shocked face, "Dr. Hodgins said that you did. He said you told Hannah that you had a brain tumor and she left you. She's a bitch by the way if she did that."

Smiling, Booth folded his hands in front of him on his desk, "One, yes, Hannah broke up with me because I told her I 'might' have a brain tumor and I needed to have some tests done. Two, I had the tests done and I do not have a brain tumor. Three, yeah, Hannah is a bitch; but, that's the way it goes. At least I know. Four, why the hell are you listening to gossip? Don't you have better things to do?"

Relieved, Sweets wiped his hand across his face, "Thank God. Not about Hannah being a bitch. Thank God you don't have a tumor. You had me worried."

Sitting back in his chair, Booth shook his head in disbelief, "I had you worried? I didn't tell you that I had a brain tumor."

Shrugging his shoulders, Sweets replied, "Well, if that's wrong then that other thing Hodgins told me about must be wrong too."

Curious, Booth asked, "What other thing?"

Laughing, Sweets replied, "He told me that Dr. Brennan got engaged yesterday and we all know Dr. Brennan doesn't believe in marriage."

His face becoming a blank mask, Booth asked, "What?"

Licking his lips nervously, the psychiatrist replied, "Uh, Dr. Hodgins has a friend who saw Dr. Brennan at a restaurant yesterday and she was with some guy. The guy supposedly proposed to her and she accepted. There were supposedly a lot of witnesses. You know she's a famous author and people notice her. I guess Hodgins got that wrong too. Dr. Brennan isn't engaged is she?"

Standing, Booth took his badge, ID and gun out of his desk drawer, placed them in his jacket pocket along with his phone and walked around the desk.

Afraid that Booth was upset, Sweets stood, "Booth, he probably got it wrong. Booth . . . Booth . . ."

Ignoring the younger man, Booth walked out of his office, down the hallway, entered the stairwell and walked down to the Lobby. Walking out of the Hoover, Booth sat down on a bench in front of the building.

Taking his phone out of his jacket pocket, Booth called his partner. Smiling, Booth watched the traffic in front of him move slowly past him, "Hey, Bones. You're never going to believe this. You're engaged."

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	5. Chapter 5

Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews.

I definitely don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Exasperated, Brennan protested, "What do you mean I'm engaged? I am not engaged. I don't believe in the institution of marriage. Who said that I was engaged?"

Laughing, Booth answered, "Apparently the gossip mill is turning full force. Sweets said that a friend of Hodgins saw me kiss you at the restaurant last night only he or she didn't know it was me and he or she told Hodgins and Hodgins told Sweets. The witness thought that the guy you were dating, who no one seems to suspect is me by the way, proposed to you. Oh, and apparently I have a brain tumor. I think Sweets was worried that I might go postal when I found out about your engagement to some other guy."

Puzzled, Brennan repeated, "Going to go postal. Um, oh, I know, he was afraid you were going to kill innocent people over my engagement. I find that highly insulting. You are a kind and compassionate person. You wouldn't murder someone just because you were angry. I have a mind to go to Sweets' office and . . . "

Interrupting his partner, Booth smiled, "Whoa, Bones. Calm down. I think it's funny."

Sighing, Brennan replied, "Well I don't. He has known you long enough to know that you are not this volatile person he seems to think you are."

Suddenly sober, Booth remarked, "Maybe I'm not what you think I am. Maybe I am volatile. You know I have a temper. Maybe Sweets knows something you don't. Maybe I would go postal if you became engaged to someone else."

Angry, Brennan objected, "Sweets spouts psycho-babble, Booth. That's all it is. There is no way you would knowingly hurt someone just because you are angry or upset. You are not your father and I don't like anyone implying that you are, not even you, Booth."

Smiling sadly, Booth responded, "Thanks Bones. It's something I worry about sometimes. I mean, I'm my father's son. He's in me. I could . . ."

Unhappy that she wasn't talking to him in person, Brennan interrupted Booth, "Stop it, Booth. You are nothing like your father. Sweets has no right making you feel like you are. Meet me for lunch. I'll meet you at the Diner in an hour. I want to see you."

Rubbing his face, Booth sighed, "Sure. I'll see you in an hour."

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Arriving at Cullen's office, Sweets stood near the door and waited. He was filled with tension and he didn't think he could sit still. He knew that the fidgeting would annoy the Deputy Director's secretary.

Annoyed, Barbara watched the psychologist rock back and forth on his feet. Her phone ringing, she picked up her phone to hear her boss ask for Sweets.

Smiling, Barbara called out, "You can go in Dr. Sweets."

His nervousness increasing, Sweets gave her a sick smile and walked over to the inner door, opened it and entered Cullen's office "You wanted to see me, Sir?"

Pointing towards the chair across from his desk, Cullen responded, "Yes. I've been told something by my secretary that I need clarified. I thought if anyone in this building knew if this was true, it would be you."

Nodding his head, Sweets sat down and cleared his throat. "Sure, if I can help."

Leaning back in his chair, Cullen stared at Sweets, "I was told this morning that Dr. Brennan was seen at the restaurant Zentan last night with a man who proposed to her. Now Barbara's sister, Casey was the one who saw it and she told Barbara about it last night. Casey recognized Dr. Brennan because of her books and she knows that the doctor works for us sometimes; so she asked Barbara about it to see what she knew. Casey didn't recognize the man with Dr. Brennan; so, she assumes he isn't someone famous. She doesn't live in the D.C. area and she just happened to be in town for a wedding. Do you know anything about this?"

Clearing his throat, Sweets nodded his head, "Dr. Jack Hodgins called me a couple of hours ago and told me about it. He has a friend who has a friend who was at the restaurant. She told him that Dr. Brennan was proposed to last night and it looks like she accepted it. I tried to talk to Booth about it; but, as soon as I mentioned the engagement he left his office and I haven't seen him since. I tried calling him a couple of times; but, my calls keep going to voice mail."

Exhaling deeply, Cullen shook his head, "Any reason to believe that he left here to find Dr. Brennan? Maybe he just wants to verify the rumor."

Shrugging his shoulders, Sweets replied, "I don't know, maybe. He broke up with Hannah Burley a few days ago; so, this might have kind of put him over the edge. He really does like Dr. Brennan very much. In fact, I honestly believe he loves her. I think this might have been piling on considering he had that medical scare earlier."

Frowning, the Deputy Director stared at Sweets in puzzlement, "What medical scare?"

Realizing he may have said too much, Sweets swallowed, "Well, according to Dr. Hodgins, Booth was having bad headaches and he was afraid his brain tumor had grown back. Booth says that he had some tests done and he found out that it's okay. The tumor isn't back. I don't know what the headaches were about; but, they were probably stress related. Anyway, Hannah broke up with him the minute she heard brain tumor. That kind of pisses me off. It's also why I'm worried about Dr. Brennan being engaged."

Sighing, Cullen looked up at the ceiling, "Sometimes I feel like I'm living my life in a damned soap opera or maybe a modern version of 'Pride and Prejudice'." Looking back at Sweets, "You said Booth left his office and you haven't seen him since?"

Shaking his head, Sweets replied, "I was thinking about going to look for him."

Pursing his lips, Cullen finally responded, "Yeah, I think you better too. So uh . . . Do you think he'd confront his partner about this or just go off and have a good drunk?"

Worried, Sweets replied, "I don't know what he'd do. I think I need to find him and talk to him before he does something that he'll regret later."

Suddenly feeling cold, Cullen stared at Sweets, "Like what?"

Licking his lips, Sweets smiled weakly, "Like you said, get drunk and then look for Dr. Brennan and cuss her out or something."

Relieved, Cullen nodded his head, "Why the hell can't those two see that . . . Never mind. Just go look for Booth and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Standing, Sweets glanced down at the floor, "Booth is a good man. He wouldn't do anything crazy, sir."

Nodding his head, Cullen replied, "He is a good man; but, good men have a breaking point."

Swallowing, Sweets turned and left the room. Walking out of Cullen's office, he took his phone out of his pocket and tried to call Booth again. He'd been trying to get his friend on the phone since he bugged out of his office and so far he hadn't contacted him yet. Shunted to voice mail, again, the psychologist put his phone back into his pocket and walked back to his office to retrieve his car keys.

Sighing, Sweets left his office and proceeded to the parking garage where he retrieved his car. Sitting in his parking place, Sweets wrote out a list of likely places Booth might be and started his search.

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Now Sweets gets to play 'Where's Booth'. Is my story interesting? Let me know. Thanks.


	6. Chapter 6

I'm glad you are enjoying my story.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Driving over to Booth's apartment, Sweets kept checking his phone for messages. He knew it was a crazy thing to do, driving and reading his phone messages; but, he was hoping that Booth would answer his email or leave him a voice mail. Something.

Arriving at the apartment building, Sweets looked around and didn't see Booth's truck anywhere. Leaving his car, Sweets crossed the street, entered the building and then rode up to Booth's floor. Pounding on Booth's apartment door, Sweets finally gave up after fifteen minutes. Leaving the building, Sweets hurried back across the street, narrowly missed being flattened by a Furniture delivery truck. Holding his hand against his chest and panting while watching the truck driver shake his fist at him and curse a blue streak, Sweets leaned against his car. "Okay, Lance, get a grip."

Finally catching his breath, he entered his car, crossed Booth's apartment off his list and drove over to the Jeffersonian. Parking in visitor's parking, Sweets entered the Lab and walked over to Cam's office. Sticking his head into her office, Lance frowned, "Dr. Saroyan, may I speak to you?"

Looking up from her journal, she smiled, "Yes of course."

Stepping into the office, Sweets smiled, "Uh, Dr. Saroyan, have you seen Booth today?"

Uncertain what was going on, Cam shook her head, "No, I haven't. If you don't know where he is why don't you call him?"

Continuing to smile, Sweets shrugged his shoulders, "Well, he, uh, kind of is declining my calls."

Frowning, Cam asked, "What's going on Dr. Sweets?"

Licking his lips, he clasped his hands in front of him, "Well, you see, Booth got some bad news and I want to make sure he's okay."

Standing, Cam crossed her arms, "What bad news?"

Licking his very dry lips again, Sweets replied, "Well, Dr. Hodgins told me that he has a friend that saw Dr. Brennan at a restaurant last night and the guy she was with proposed to her and she accepted. You know she's a famous author and people pay attention when they see her."

Studying Sweets, Cam suddenly placed her hand against her mouth. "Um, I haven't seen Booth today. Maybe you should try his apartment."

Suspicious, Sweets remarked, "You know something."

Shaking her head, Cam responded, "No, no I don't."

Frowning, Sweets insisted, "Yes, you do."

Shaking her head again, Cam sat down and faced her PC, "I have work to do, Dr. Sweets. I don't know where Booth is."

Glaring at Cam, Sweets finally turned and left her office.

Aware that the psychologist had left, Cam picked up her phone and called Brennan's phone number and then Booth's number. Getting voicemail each time, Cam left a message, "Call me ASAP. I need to talk to you."

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Listening to Cam's voicemail, Booth looked at Brennan, "I think I'd better at least call Cullen's secretary and tell her that I have a headache and I'll be out the rest of the day."

Nodding Brennan agreed, "Yes, I should call Cam too."

Calling Barbara, Booth lowered his voice, "Yeah, Barbara, I got hit with another headache. I'm going to be out for the rest of the day. It might be a migraine."

Sympathetic, Barbara replied, "Agent Booth, headache or not, the Deputy Director wants to talk to you. Hold on and do not hang up."

Turning to look at Brennan, Booth put his hand over his phone, "Shit, something's up."

Putting the phone back to his ear, Booth heard his boss say, "Booth get your ass back to work. I know what's going on and I want you in my office pronto."

Exhaling heavily, Booth complained, "I do have a headache."

Irritated, Cullen replied, "Right now, I don't care. Get your carcass into my office. I want to talk to you."

Rolling his eyes, Booth replied, "Alright. I need to stop by the store and pickup up some migraine medicine and then I'll be there."

Concerned, Cullen relented, "Alright, get here as soon as you pick it up."

Placing his phone down on the nightstand, Booth rolled back into Brennan's arms, "I have to go in now."

Smiling, Brennan kissed him, "If you must. I'll call Cam and see what she wants."

Kissing Brennan, Booth rolled out of bed, started grabbing up his clothes and putting them on. "This sucks. Usually the headache excuse works."

Laughing, Brennan responded, "Perhaps they've found out that headache is code for sex."

Pulling up his slacks, Booth frowned, "Damn, I hope not." Slipping on his shirt, he buttoned it while staring at Brennan, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Nodding her head, Brennan reached for her phone from the night stand and called Cam, "This is Dr. Brennan, you called me."

Cutting to the chase, Cam asked, "Have you seen Booth today?"

Nodding her head, Brennan replied, "Yes."

Sighing, Cam asked, "Did you get engaged last night?"

Irritated, Brennan sat up, "What? No, I did not. I do not believe in the institution of marriage."

Staring at Brennan, Booth stopped buttoning his shirt.

Staring at her screen saver on her PC, Cam informed Brennan, "Apparently someone saw you and Booth at the restaurant last night and for some reason they think he proposed and you accepted."

Rubbing her forehead, Brennan sighed, "Dr. Sweets told you this?"

Surprised, Cam responded, "Yes, he did. How did you know it was Sweets?"

Answering, Brennan stared at Booth, "Because Booth told me that Sweets told him that someone proposed to me last night; but, he didn't mention that Booth was the one."

Shaking her head, Cam replied, "And he didn't say Booth did the proposing to me either. I just know that you told me that you were going on a date with Booth last night and I put two and two together."

Frowning, Brennan replied, "Well in this case it does not add up to four. He did not propose to me last night."

Confused, Cam asked, "I wonder why this rumor is going around then. Did Booth do anything that may have made people think he proposed?"

Clearing her throat, Brennan shrugged her shoulders, "We kissed."

Annoyed, Booth blurted out, "Bones!"

Ignoring Booth, Brennan listened to Cam chuckle, "I see and I heard Booth just now so I know he's with you. He'd better get back to work and start talking before they put a BOLO out on him. I think Sweets thinks Booth is either postal or suicidal."

Annoyed, Brennan responded, "I am going to have a talk with Dr. Sweets, very soon. He should not make assumptions like that. He could get Booth into trouble."

Shrugging her shoulders, Cam responded, "I think he's already done it."

Ending her call, Brennan informed Booth about Cam's end of the conversation. Angry, Booth finished dressing. "Damn it. We work with a bunch of dam gossips. This is ridiculous."

Nodding her head slowly, she watched her partner sit down on the bed and put his socks and shoes on. "I think I'll get dressed and go to the store. I need a few things."

Nodding his head, Booth stood up and walked around the bed. Leaning over and kissing her, Booth replied, "Who knew finally connecting with you would cause this much bedlam?"

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	7. Chapter 7

I'm happy that so many of you like my story.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Entering Cullen's office, Booth noticed that the Deputy Director was waiting for him. Frowning, Booth kept his face emotionless as he sat down on the chair across from Cullen's desk.

Feeling a little vulnerable, Booth folded his arms across his chest and waited.

Observing Booth's body language, Cullen leaned forward and asked, "Dr. Sweets informed me that your partner may have got engaged last night."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth asked, "That's why I'm here?"

Clasping his hands in front of him, Cullen scowled, "Yes, it is. Dr. Sweets told me that you've had quite a week. You had a health scare, your girlfriend dumped you and now your partner may have got engaged. He was worried that the stress may have been too much for you."

Nodding his head, Booth pointed to his head, "That's why the headache."

Looking grave, Cullen continued, "Dr. Sweets was concerned that you might do something drastic when you found out that Dr. Brennan was engaged."

Annoyed, Booth answered, "Dr. Sweets is a damn busy body. Why would I do something drastic? What did he mean by drastic? I'm not a psycho, I wouldn't go postal if Bones got engaged and it pisses me off if he thinks I would. What kind of a man do you and he think I am? This is ridiculous. I get a headache and the world thinks I'm going to kill someone. I really don't appreciate this, not one bit."

Holding up his hands in a placating manner, Cullen shook his head, "Look, no one is accusing you of anything. We're just all a little concerned, that's all. In the last two years, you've been kidnapped and almost killed, you had a brain tumor, your partner shut down our partnership with the Jeffersonian, you were in Afghanistan for several months, you've come back to a very stressful job, your girlfriend dumps you, you thought you might have another brain tumor and your partner may have gotten herself engaged which ultimately could change our arrangement with the Jeffersonian again. You look me in the eye and tell me that isn't a lot of stress for one man to be under."

Sighing, Booth shook his head, "Okay, I've had a few things to deal with; but, that doesn't mean I'm going to go all crazy and start killing people. This is nuts. This kind of thing can ruin a man's reputation and I sure as hell don't appreciate it. Where is Dr. Sweets? I think I need to have a talk with him."

Exhaling deeply, Cullen replied, "Dr. Sweets is currently looking for you. You had your phone going to voicemail."

Shaking his head, Booth pointed at his head again, "I had a headache. I was at home, in bed. I was trying to sleep my way out of the headache; but, no, Dr. Sweets is listening to gossip and telling my Boss I'm a whack job and I have to get out of bed and come back to work to prove I'm not. This is shit and you know it." Rubbing his head, Booth moaned under his breath and thought, "Damn it now I really do have a damn headache."

Watching Booth rub his head, Cullen sighed, "I'm sorry, Booth. I really am. I should have known better than to listen to idle gossip; but, you have to see it from my perspective. An FBI psychologist comes to me and he's worried about one of my agents. An agent that, well, let's face it, you do have a temper and you have the patience of a gnat sometimes; so, yeah I listened. He was wrong. This isn't going to reflect badly on you, I can assure you. Now, you have a headache and I can clearly see that you are in pain. Go home, get some rest and come back tomorrow."

Nodding his head, Booth stood up, "If it's a migraine I might be out tomorrow. Sometimes it takes me a few hours before I know if it is or not."

Nodding his head, Cullen responded, "Sure, I get them myself. Just let Barbara know in the morning if you aren't coming in."

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Knocking on Brennan's door, Booth waited as patiently as possible. Drumming his fingers on the wall next to the door, Booth glared at the closed door. After a few minutes, Booth pulled his phone out of his pocket and called his partner.

"Hey Bones, where the hell are you? I'm standing outside your apartment door."

Picking up her grocery bags from the check out counter, Brennan answered, "I'm at the market. I wanted to cook dinner for us and I realized that I needed a few things."

Surprised, Booth responded, "Oh, do you want me to come down there and help you bring the shopping back?"

Shaking her head, Brennan walked out of the store, "No, that won't be necessary. It's just a few bags. Why don't you use your emergency key for my apartment and let yourself in? I should be there in about seven or ten minutes depending upon traffic patterns."

Amused, Booth responded, "Okay, I'll see you in seven to ten minutes."

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Brennan was approaching her apartment building when she spied Sweets standing in front of the building staring at her. Irritated, she decided that Dr. Lance Sweets needed a lesson in professionalism. Quickly formulating a plan, Brennan decided to initiate it and then let Booth know about her plan when she saw him.

She soon found herself standing next to Sweets. "What are you doing here?"

Frowning, Sweets replied, "I'm looking for Agent Booth. Have you seen him?"

Glancing at the entrance to her apartment, the anthropologist responded, "I have seen Booth many times. Are you talking about a specific time period?"

Attempting to play along, Sweets replied, "Very good. Yeah, I meant have you seen Agent Booth today?"

Shifting her bags from one hand to the other, Brennan responded, "Why are you looking for Booth? Why not call him?"

Sighing, Sweets replied, "He won't answer his phone."

Shrugging her shoulders, Brennan looked down at her bags, "I have ice cream in my bag and it is melting as we speak. What do you want with Booth?"

Glancing at her bags, Sweets answered, "Well, uh, there is a rumor going around that you got engaged last night and I know Booth heard about it. I just wanted to make sure he's okay. Has he tried to contact you?"

Shaking her head, Brennan replied, "No he has not tried to contact me. Why wouldn't he be okay if I were engaged?"

Reluctantly, Sweets answered, "Well, uh, you see, you may not know it but he broke up with Hannah a few days ago. He thought he might have a brain tumor and the second Hannah heard the words brain tumor she bugged out and she left him. I know that he likes you a lot, well if we're going to be honest, he loves you and . . . "

Holding up her hand, Brennan interrupted Sweets, "He doesn't love me. We're friends and nothing more."

Shaking his head, Sweets responded, "That may be how you feel about Agent Booth; but, I'm telling you that he loves you and I'm afraid he might not react well when he hears that you're engaged."

Furious, Brennan kept her face a mask, "I think you're wrong. I don't think my engagement will affect him. He is my friend and he will be happy for me."

Shaking his head again, Sweets implored her, "Please Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth has been under enormous pressure for over a year now. I worry about how he's going to react when he confronts you about your engagement."

Shaking her head, Brennan frowned, "Your worries are groundless. Now if you don't mind, I need to go up to my apartment before my ice cream melts completely."

Stepping away from Brennan, Sweets tried once more, "Please Dr. Brennan. If you hear from Booth, let me know."

Not acknowledging the younger man, Brennan entered her apartment building.

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Opening her door, Brennan found Booth sitting on her couch with his head in his hands. Looking up, he smiled, "Hey you have any aspirin or Advil? I really do have a headache now."

Nodding, she walked in to the kitchen, put her ice cream in the freezer and then walked from the kitchen to the bathroom. Retrieving some Advil, she carried it and a glass of water back to Booth.

Handing the pills to Booth, Brennan then handed him the water. "Sweets was waiting for me outside of my apartment building. I am very irritated at his assumptions about you and his reliance on gossip. He is being very unprofessional."

Nodding his head, Booth held the now empty glass in his hands, "Yeah, he told Cullen that I was some volcano ready to erupt and destroy everyone in my path. I told him that I didn't appreciate that shit at all. I convinced him that Sweets is an idiot and he gave me the rest of the day off. If I milk it right, I can get tomorrow off too. I told him I have a headache, which isn't a damn lie anymore. I really do have a headache."

Sitting on the couch next to Booth, Brennan placed her hand on his arm, "I think Dr. Sweets needs to learn a lesson about gossip and spreading wild innuendo. I told him that I haven't seen you today and that I am engaged."

Surprised, Booth stared at his partner, "Are you crazy? What do hope to accomplish by doing that?"

Sniffing, Brennan replied, "Since everyone is insisting that I am engaged, I thought I would add to the bedlam by saying that I am. I of course am not engaged; but, if everyone thinks I am then they will run around like a goose with it's head lopped off trying to find out who my imaginary fiancé is. It should be quite amusing and perhaps they will learn to avoid gossip."

Puzzled, Booth responded, "That's a chicken with it's head cut off. You are crazy if you think this plan of yours is going to end well. We work with people who solve crimes for a living. They're sharp as they come. I really think you shouldn't do this. I mean I really really think this is a bad idea."

Smiling, Brennan remarked, "Well I don't."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth asked, "What did Cam want?"

"She called me to find out what happened last night. She knew we had gone on a date last night; so, she wanted to know if you proposed to me."

Wary, Booth asked, "And what did you tell her?"

Squeezing his arm, Brennan replied, "I told her I am not engaged."

Shaking his head, Booth exclaimed, "Bones, you're . . . What happens when Cam says you aren't engaged and Sweets says you are?"

Smiling, she responded, "I don't know. This is going to be a fascinating experiment. I may even be able to write a paper when this is done."

Sighing, Booth moved his arm around her waist and leaned over to kiss her, "Oh goody."

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Reviews would be great thanks.


	8. Chapter 8

The reviews have been terrific. Thank you.

I don't own Bones.

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Booth had offered to help her cook dinner; but, Brennan had insisted that she would rather that he relax. "The headache tablets will work better if you sit still and relax."

Watching her move around the kitchen, Booth took his phone out of his jacket pocket and made a call, "Sweets, quit looking for me. I don't need a daddy right now."

Relieved, Sweets responded, "Where are you and how did you know I was looking for you?"

Smiling at Brennan as she walked by him, Booth answered, "You're little psycho babble shit you told Cullen about me made him anxious and I had to go back to the Hoover to prove I wasn't some psycho killer running lose. Thanks Sweets. I mean really, thanks. I really needed my boss to think I'm a nut job."

Embarrassed, Sweets responded, "I was worried about you. You've been under enormous stress for over a year. More than a year, you've been living in a pressure cooker ever since you had your brain surgery. I was just afraid that Dr. Brennan's engagement would be one too many straws."

Sighing, Booth shook his head, "Sweets, you forget who I am. I've lived under worse stress than you could possibly know. My old man taught me how to handle stress, kid. Believe me you don't have to worry about me."

Clearing his throat, Sweets licked his bottom lip, "You're my friend, Booth. I want to be there for you. I worry about you. I just . . . You're living with Hannah just didn't make sense to me, not really and when she broke up with you the way she did, I just worried that you wouldn't see that her leaving was right for you. You may have thought you were in love with her but we both know that wasn't true. She was your attempt to. . . "

Angry, Booth interrupted the young psychologist, "Stop it Sweets. Stop psychoanalyzing me. You think you know me and you don't know me at all, so, just stop it. I had my reasons for doing what I did and it wasn't any of your damn business. Now quit looking for me. I don't need your help."

Concerned, Sweets pleaded, "Please Booth, I know you better than you think. Please stay away from Dr. Brennan for now. It . . ."

Interrupting the younger man again, Booth angrily responded, "Damn it, for once, just once listen to me. I have a damn headache and I'm taking the rest of the day off. I'm not . . . Just leave me the hell alone."

Ending the call, Booth placed his phone on the table in front of him and placed his head in his hands.

Brennan, concerned, placed her hands on Booth's shoulders and squeezed them, "He likes you and he's worried about you."

Looking up, Booth sighed, "He's a pain in the ass. Please Bones, reconsider this experiment you want to do. I don't think you're going to like the end results. Sweets is a train wreck waiting to happen. He can't help it. He wants to help; but, the way he does it is just . . . just think about it, please."

Shaking her head, Brennan responded, "He needs to learn a lesson. As a staff psychologist for the FBI he wields power over a lot of people's careers. His inability to remain objective with his patients is a real problem and in a way dangerous. I want him to learn that his actions have consequences."

Placing his right hand over her left one, Booth tried once more, "Bones, his actions have consequences and so do yours. Please call off your experiment."

Squeezing his shoulders, Brennan responded, "No, I'm doing this for you. You may not see it but I need to protect you from his overzealousness. I'm hoping that this is the way to do it."

Sighing, Booth looked at his phone, "Okay, have it your way. Just remember I warned you."

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Hodgins was working on a little experiment for Brennan when he felt a presence in the doorway. Looking up, he smiled, "Can I help you?"

Sweets, frowning, entered the room, "I need to make sure that what you told me was true. Are you sure that Dr. Brennan is engaged? Are you really really sure?"

Shrugging his shoulders, the entomologist grimaced, "A friend of mine said that a friend of hers saw Brennan and who ever she's dating at a restaurant and it looked like that's what was going on. The guy made the proposal and they kissed for everyone to see."

Rubbing the back of his head, Sweets asked, "Can I talk to your friend?"

Smiling, Hodgins replied, "You talk to her all of the time. It was Daisy."

Puzzled, Sweets continued to rub the back of his head, "She didn't call me about it. You'd think she'd have called me about it."

Shrugging his shoulders, Hodgins responded, "Don't ask me man. I know Daisy has been busy all day. Maybe she just didn't get a chance to call you."

Removing his hand from his head, Sweets stared at his friend, "I talked to Booth about it. I thought he was upset about it; but, he says he isn't. I do know he went home with a headache; so, I'm pretty sure he is upset and just won't talk about it."

Concerned, Hodgins asked, "Maybe you shouldn't have told him. Maybe we should have kept quiet about it and just let Dr. B tell him."

Shaking his head, Sweets folded his arms across his chest, "No way. You and I both know that he loves her. I don't care if he was living with Hannah Burley. We both know he wasn't in love with her no matter how much he said he was. He was just looking for someone to hold on to because he couldn't have Dr. Brennan. Well now Hannah's dumped him and he's lost Dr. Brennan too. I'm worried sick about him. He says he's fine; but, he can't be. I'm worried that he's going to lose it and I'm afraid of what's going to happen when he does. That headache he got right after I told him, that's just a symptom of the stress he's under. We had to tell him before Dr. Brennan did to protect her and him."

Frowning, Hodgins asked, "How do you know that Hannah dumped him?"

Grimacing, Sweets explained, "When you mentioned the brain tumor to me I thought he really had one again. He told me that it was just a scare and that he didn't have one; but, when Hannah found out about his past brain surgery and that there was a possibility that it had grown back, she dumped his ass in a New York minute."

Disgusted, Hodgins clenched his fists, "Yeah I know, that pissed me off so much when I heard about that. Could she have been any colder? I mean really?"

Nodding his head, Sweets responded, "Now you see why I'm worried."

Frowning, Hodgins sighed, "Booth is a good guy. He'd never hurt Dr. B., not ever."

Shrugging his shoulders, Sweets sighed, "Maybe he wouldn't hurt her; but, he might hurt himself. Not in an obvious way; but, he has a dangerous job. If he decided to hurt himself, he could put himself into a situation where that could happen. I'm really worried about his mental health."

Sitting back down, Hodgins shook his head, "Maybe we should warn Dr. B."

Unfolding his arms, Sweets leaned against the doorframe, "I did that earlier this afternoon. Well I tried anyway. She was at home and I went over there and talked to her. She didn't take me seriously."

Scratching his neck, Hodgins stared at the younger man, "Okay, I guess we better try to help out. I'll spread the word with the other interns and get them to help keep Booth calm around Brennan. We'll just have to intervene and that's all's too it. He's a good guy and I think once he's thought it over for a few days he'll be happy for Dr. B. He's like that. He just needs time to adjust that's all. . . I better not run into Hannah for awhile. I'm really pissed and I don't know what I'll do if I see her."

Nodding his head, Sweets remarked, "Tell me about it."

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Reviews would be great. Thank you.


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for your interest in my story.

I don't own Bones.

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Arriving home that night, Sweets found Daisy in the bathroom soaking in the tub, "Daisy, I need to ask you something important."

Looking up, Daisy smiled, "You look very serious."

Nodding his head, Lance dropped the lid onto the toilet and sat down, "Yeah, did you tell Hodgins that Dr. Brennan got engaged?"

Puzzled, Daisy nodded her head, "Well, I had a friend call me this morning and she told me that she saw Dr. Brennan at a restaurant yesterday and the guy she was with got up from his seat, walked around to where Dr. Brennan was sitting and kissed her in a very romantic way. Usually when people do that it's because they've asked someone to marry them and the person said yes. It's not like he asked her to pass the salt and he had to make a big production out of it by kissing her because she did it."

Frowning, Sweets remarked, "But really, you have no idea if she's engaged or not. You and your friend are just speculating."

Shrugging her shoulders, "I don't think so. I just wish my friend knew who the guy was. She said he's tall with dark hair and he has dreamy eyes."

Folding his arms across his chest, Sweets sighed, "I talked to Dr. Brennan and I guess she really is engaged. She sure didn't deny it when I confronted her outside her apartment. I'm so worried about Agent Booth. This has got to be killing him."

Frowning, Daisy asked, "Why did you confront Dr. Brennan about it? She has a right to get engaged if she wants to. I always thought Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan should get together but since he's living with that reporter I guess Dr. Brennan decided to move on with her life. I don't see anything wrong with that. And why in the world are you worried about Agent Booth? Like I said that blonde reporter is living with him."

Shaking his head, Sweets replied, "That's just it. He had a medical scare and Hannah dumped his ass. I mean, I am so angry about that it's unreal. The guy thinks he might have another brain tumor and the next thing he knows, his girl friend gives him the heave-ho. I mean how cold can you possibly be?"

A flash of anger crossing her face, Daisy sat up straight, "You have to be kidding me. He thought he was sick and his girlfriend dumped him? My God, that's terrible. I mean that is really really terrible. Poor Agent Booth. First his girlfriend dumps him and then he finds out his partner is engaged. That has to hurt . . . Oh, I see why you're worried about him. He probably thought that he could at least count on Dr. Brennan being there for him and now that she's engaged she can't be. Poor Agent Booth. I feel so sorry for him."

Shaking his head, Sweets responded, "It's worse than that. He really loves Dr. Brennan and now that he's lost his girlfriend and Dr. Brennan I'm afraid he might try to hurt himself."

Her eyes growing large in her head, Daisy shook her head, "What do you mean? He might try to kill himself? Oh now that's terrible."

Shaking his head, Sweets replied with a little exasperation, "No, no. He's Catholic. He won't commit suicide. I'm pretty sure about that. I just mean that he has a dangerous job and he might subconsciously put himself in harms way. It just scares me how much stress he's been under since his brain surgery and then top it off with the PTSD he suffers from and it's just not good being Agent Booth right now."

Curious, Daisy asked, "Should you be telling me that Agent Booth has PTSD? Should you be telling me about anything medical related? Isn't that against HIPPA?"

Sighing, Sweets rolled his eyes and shook his head, "No, I shouldn't have said that. I was wrong to do that. Please don't tell anyone else about that. It isn't anyone else's business."

Pretending to lock her mouth with a key, Daisy responded, "Tick a lock."

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Lying in bed, his arms around Brennan, Booth smiled, "You know. Cullen thinks I have a migraine and he's feeling guilty listening to Sweets about me; so, I could call in sick tomorrow and no one would question it."

Rubbing her hand slowly up and down his side, Brennan smiled, "I suppose you'd like me to call in sick too."

Wiggling his eyebrows, her partner smiled, "Well, yeah. I would. We could stay in bed all day and have sex and talk and have sex and talk and . . ."

Laughing, Brennan responded, "I notice that there is a lot of sex in your plan."

Frowning, Booth responded, "I just want to do some exploring Bones. I want to learn every inch of you. Don't you want to learn every inch of me?"

Smiling, Brennan placed her hand on his hip, "Yes, I would; but, we don't necessarily have to do that in one day."

Shaking his head, Booth smiled, "Oh come on. It'll be fun. I'll even cook you breakfast and serve it to you in bed. I'll cook dinner too."

Leaning up and kissing him, Brennan murmured, "You certainly know how to make the offer attractive."

Returning her kiss, he showed how earnest he was. Finally breaking the kiss, "Of course, if you think it's more important to stare at gross bodies, I won't stand in your way. I'll go in to work if you plan to. I just thought it would be nice to be irresponsible for once and do something we want to do and not what we have to do."

Staring into his warm brown eyes, Brennan sighed, "Alright. I'll call Cam in the morning and tell her that I don't feel well. I don't like to lie about things like that though. It seems dishonest."

Kissing her again, Booth smiled, "You're a very honest person, Bones. You really are; but, sometimes you have to do things for yourself."

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The next morning, Cam needed to go over a report that Booth needed for his files so she called him. Her call being shunted to voicemail, Cam left a message and returned to her reports. Later that day, a body was found behind Walter Reed and she called Booth to make sure that he knew he'd have to take Clark Edison instead of Brennan to the crime scene. Her call going to voice mail, she ended the call and then called Charlie Burns.

"Charlie, I need to talk to Booth. Could you have him call me right away."

Absently, Charlie answered, "Booth called in sick this morning. Agent Holtz is taking his place today. If you're calling about the body at Walter Reed, Brian is already on the way to the crime scene. He'll meet Dr. Brennan there."

Shaking her head, Cam replied, "Dr. Brennan is not here today. Clark Edison is filling in for Dr. Brennan today."

Chuckling, Charlie responded, "Well, imagine that."

Ending the call, Cam thought about it and smiled, "Those two rascals. Yeah, imagine that."

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Reviews would be great thanks.


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you for reading my story.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ready for lunch, Hodgins shut down his computer and walked out of his office, down the hallway and entered his wife's office. Entering the room, Hodgins saw Angela sitting in front of her computer monitor, her mouth open and a stunned look on her face.

Striding over to her desk, Hodgins placed his hand on her shoulder and asked, "What's wrong, Babe? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Closing her mouth, Angela let her eyes move from the monitor to her husband's face, "I. . ." Clearing her throat, Angela tried again, "I was curious about Brennan and her supposed fiancé so I started searching for pictures of them. I mean she's a famous author and if I was in a restaurant with a famous author, I'd be tempted to take a picture with my phone and post it on Facebook or tumblr. Wouldn't you?"

Nodding his head, Hodgins smiled, "Hey that's clever."

Shrugging her shoulders, the artist continued, "So I know they were at Zentan and I know when, so I used that and" Tapping the space bar to wake up her monitor, Angela pointed at the screen, "This is what I found."

His eyes almost bugging out of their sockets, the entomologist shook his head, "Oh my God."

Sighing, Angela crossed her arms, "Her fiancé is Booth. I don't understand how that happened. One day he's living with a reporter and the next day he's engaged to Brennan. I mean that's crazy even by my standards."

Shaking his head, Hodgin frowned, "I don't understand. Sweets is running around terrified that Booth is going to hurt himself because Dr. B is engaged to someone and Booth is the one she's engaged too?"

Biting her lower lip, Angela studied the picture of Brennan and Booth kissing. "Okay, this seems weird to me too. I'm going to go talk to Booth."

Placing his hand on her shoulder, Hodgins shook his head vigorously, "Angela, I don't think that's a good idea. Booth really really hates to talk about his private life. Let's just forget about it and stay out of it."

Placing her hand on his hand, Angela smiled, "I think it would be better for us if we knew what was really going on. I'm really uncomfortable with Sweets' 'Chicken Little' act. If Booth and Brennan are engaged, by some small miracle, then I think we need to know about it."

Pursing his lips, Hodgins responded, "Okay maybe it would be better if we knew. Just be prepared for Booth to hand you your head in a paper bag."

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Knocking on the doorframe to Booth's office, Angela smiled when he looked up from his computer monitor.

"Hey, Angela, what can I do for you?"

Entering the room, Angela grinned, "I have those reports you wanted me to sign. Since I was in the area, I thought I'd just drop them off instead of using a courier."

Holding out his hand, Booth waited for Angela to hand the Interoffice envelopes over to him. After giving him the envelopes, she sat on the chair in front of Booth's desk and smoothed her skirt across her knees, "So, Booth did you know that Brennan is engaged?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth sat back in his chair and clasped his hands together, "Is that so?"

Shaking her head slowly, Angela shook her right index finger at him, 'No, we aren't going to play that game, Booth. There was a rumor going around that Brennan was spotted at a restaurant with some guy and the guy popped the question to her. Sweets talked to Brennan about it and she didn't deny it."

Flicking his eyes towards the window and then back at Angela, Booth finally answered, "Who am I to call Bones a liar? If she says she's engaged then she must be."

Watching him carefully, the artist pressed further, "So you're okay with it? Sweets thinks your upset about it. He even thinks you might want to harm yourself because of it, at least that's what Jack says."

Suddenly angry, Booth clenched his hands and ground his teeth, "Sweets is full of crap. Why would I want to hurt myself because Bones is engaged? I wouldn't hurt myself and I sure wouldn't hurt anyone else over that bit of news."

Pulling a picture out of the envelope she'd kept, Angela held it up for Booth to see, "Especially since you're the fiancé, am I right?"

Startled, Booth leaned closer to look at the picture. Laughing, Booth shook his head, "Okay, now where did you get that?"

Grinning, Angela answered, "Brennan is a famous author. People are interested in celebrities. A couple of people at the restaurant recorded your kiss and posted it on Facebook and tumblr."

His tongue pressed in his cheek, Booth smiled. "Okay, what are you going to do with that?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Angela handed the picture to Booth, "Not a thing. Jack and I will be getting off of Sweets' crazy ride now. I just wanted to make sure you were the fiancé before I stopped the madness."

Shaking his head, Booth spoke, "I haven't said I'm engaged to Bones."

Smirking, the younger woman responded, "Yeah, you said that Brennan is engaged and since you're the guy in the picture then you're the fiancé."

Smiling, Booth shook his head, "Nah ah, I said that if Bones says she's engaged then she must be."

Puzzled, Angela shook her head, "Are you playing with semantics with me? Either she's engaged or not."

Picking up the envelopes that Angela had given him earlier, he started opening them and removing the reports, "I got nothing to say, Angela. This is Bones' game not mine."

Realization sinking in, Angela grinned, "Oh, I get it. She doesn't care if we know she's engaged. She just doesn't want to say who it is. I can understand that she wants your relationship to be kept a secret. That's fine. You can count on me and Jack. We won't tell anyone."

Nodding his head, Booth smiled, "Whatever Angela."

Standing, the artist shook her head, "You do know that your engagement to her can't be a secret forever. Not with pictures already on the internet and Sweets panting after you."

Shaking his head, Booth remained silent.

Once Angela had left his office, Booth leaned back in his chair and smiled.

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Reviews would be great. Thanks.


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks for reviewing my story. If you haven't figured it out yet, this is a farce or least my idea of a farce. That means that characters might be a little OC.

I don't own Bones.

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He'd been sitting in the Founding Fathers' waiting for his partner to show up when he felt a finger jab him in the shoulder. Looking up, he found himself facing his former lover. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd accepted an overseas assignment. You told me you were leaving a few days ago."

Her face a cold mask, Hannah sat down across from him, "I've been given a different assignment and I'm not leaving until next week. So, that story you gave me about the brain tumor was just a trick to get me to leave wasn't it? You wanted to get rid of me and you used your past health problems to do it. My side of the bed didn't even get a chance to get cold did it? You're a bastard you know that?"

Scratching the side of his head, Booth frowned, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Waving her right index back in forth between them Hannah snarled, "No you don't get to play that game. Why couldn't you just be honest with me, Seeley? You told me that you might have a brain tumor. You were dishonest with me about your past and you knew that would make me angry enough to leave you. What a load of bullshit. Now I find out you're engaged to your partner. I mean, really? I don't appreciate you living with me and catting around with your partner. I thought you were a gentleman Seeley. Boy was I wrong."

Frowning, Booth shook his head, "You don't know what you're talking about. I'm not engaged to anyone and I didn't cat around while I was living with you. You're wrong. And for your information, I really did think my brain tumor was back. I didn't have some damn nefarious plan to dump you, you dumped me at the first sign of trouble. You're a selfish . . . ."

Slapping her former lover, Hannah stood up, "You're a bastard." Turning, Hannah spied Brennan walking towards the table, "I thought you were my friend." Brushing past Brennan, Hannah threw Brennan a look of disgust.

Puzzled, Brennan sat across from Booth and watched him rub his face where it had been slapped. "Why did she slap you?"

Shaking his head, Booth replied, "She thinks I was having sex with you while I was living with her."

Shocked, Brennan shook her head, "Why would she think that? I don't understand."

Sighing, Booth leaned towards Brennan and placed his hand on top of hers, "Bones, she thinks I'm engaged to you. This is getting out of hand. I told you that this was going to go bad and it already has. Apparently there are pictures on the internet of you and me kissing. People think we're engaged, including Hannah."

Staring at Booth's hand clasping hers, she shook her head, "It's all just supposition. No one has the facts and they're letting their imaginations run away from them. This is quite fascinating. I will definitely have to write a paper on the power of gossip in American society when this experiment is completed."

Withdrawing his hand, Booth stared at Brennan, "Why can't you just admit that you're wrong and call off your experiment? Let's just tell everyone that you aren't engaged. Please Bones. It's on the damn internet."

Shaking her head, Brennan smiled, "No, Sweets hasn't learned his lesson yet. It doesn't matter what is on the internet. We both know it isn't true. I had wanted to create some bedlam with this experiment and these rumors on the internet actually help."

Sitting back in his chair, Booth responded, "Okay, have it your way. Whatever happens will be on your head not mine. Don't complain to me later about how your experiment didn't turn out like you thought it would."

Puzzled, Brennan frowned, "This is an experiment, Booth. It can't turn out wrong or right. I try not to set up an experiment going in with any preconceived notions. That would ruin the experiment."

Rubbing his finger under his eye, Booth smiled, "Fine. Let's go, I'm hungry. You want to go dancing tonight after we eat? I know this nice little club that has a live band."

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After dancing for awhile, Booth and Brennan sat down at a booth in the back of the club. Sitting down next to each other, Booth placed his arm around Brennan and pulled her closer to him. "This was nice. We'll have to come back here."

Smiling, Brennan leaned up and kissed Booth. "Yes, I think we should come back here." Pausing, Brennan leaned back against Booth's arm, "I'm sorry that Hannah slapped you. I'll call her tomorrow and explain what is going on."

Shaking his head, Booth frowned, "No, leave it alone. It doesn't matter what she thinks. Besides, she's the one who dumped me. What I do now is none of her damn business. I don't owe her anything and neither do you. Come on let's stop talking about Hannah and the experiment. Let's talk about us. . . Is there an us, Bones? Do you want to be part of an us?"

Staring intently at her partner, Brennan nodded her head, "Yes, I do. I've come to realize that I need you to be part of my life. You have been for a long time. I just couldn't let myself admit that I wanted you as anything more than a friend. It's taken me a long time to realize it and it took a seven month separation and your living with Hannah to force me to really look at what I want and what I want is you."

Smiling, Booth leaned down and kissed Brennan, "I've really made a mess of things lately. I'm sorry I ever got involved with Hannah; but, if I'm going to be honest with you then you need to know why. I was . . . . I was in a downward spiral for awhile and she caught me when I needed someone to . . . Hannah helped me when I needed it. Sometimes you have to live for the moment and that's what I did. If I'd been stronger then maybe I could have . . ."

Interrupting her partner, Brennan shook her head, "Never mind Booth. The past is the past. I'm only interested in our future."

Shaking his head, Booth sighed, "I love you Temperance. More than you know."

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Checking the Temperance Brennan fan club tumblr site Daisy's eyes widened in disbelief. Barely holding her emotions in check, she ran from the kitchen into the living room to catch her boyfriend before he left for the Hoover. "Lance, Oh my gosh, you are not going to believe what I found." Holding out her Iphone, she handed it to her boyfriend.

Puzzled, Sweets took the phone and looked at the picture displayed on the screen. Shocked, he found himself looking at a picture of Booth and Brennan sitting in a booth, kissing.

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Reviews would be great. Thanks.


	12. Chapter 12

Thank for the wonderful reviews.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Shaking his head, Sweets sat on his couch and stared at the coffee table in front of him. Rubbing his forehead, he thought about what he'd done for the last few days and felt like a fool. "I'm used to them. I should be used to them. I know them. I know that they're full of shit. Partners my ass. I knew better; but , no, I have to run around like an idiot trying to protect Booth from himself. Ha, I bet he thought that was very funny seeing me trying to protect him from himself. I am such an idiot. I knew that Hannah was wrong. I knew it."

Berating himself, Sweets didn't hear his door open.

Clearing his throat, Hodgins spoke, "Hey, Sweets. I need to talk to you."

Looking up, Sweets squinted his eyes at the entomologist. "Booth is Brennan's fiancé."

Smiling sheepishly, Hodgins walked around the couch across from Sweets and sat down, "How do you know?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Sweets replied, "I have my sources."

Crossing his arms, Hodgins replied, "I just found out yesterday. I wanted to warn you so you'd know that Booth is okay and not to worry about him. He's probably on cloud nine. I haven't seen him for several days; but, I have seen the pictures on the internet."

Curious, Sweets asked, "Did you see the ones where they're kissing at some club? Someone posted them on Dr. Brennan's fan site."

Shaking his head, Hodgins frowned, "No. I'm not interested in what they're up to. Now that I know they're a couple I'm backing off. They can take care of themselves."

Sighing, Sweets responded, "I think their forgetting about the non-fraternization rule. If Cullen finds out about this he's going to sever their partnership."

Shaking his head, Hodgins smiled, "I don't think so. Cullen and Caroline will find a way around it. They love Booth and they and the Director of the FBI love the solve rate that he and Dr. Brennan have. They won't mess with that."

Nodding his head, Sweets sighed, "Yeah. I feel like an idiot though. Those two are so busy keeping their private lives private that they don't think to bother to let anyone know when something important is happening. I mean, here I was worried about Booth's PTSD and . . . " Startled, Sweets exclaimed, "I did not mean to say that. Please don't tell anyone I said that. I don't know what's wrong with me. It's like I don't have any control over my mouth what so ever when it comes to Booth."

Shrugging his shoulders, Hodgins responded, "Give me a break. Who in the world doesn't know he has PTSD? He's had it for as long as I've known him. I spotted the signs the first year we worked together. Do you know how many times he's threatened to kill me? The first year I worked with him we had a little accident at the Lab and we went into lockdown. He told me and Zach that if he found out he was going to die he was going to take us out first. We were locked in that Lab and he was carrying a gun. He's a good guy; but, still he has a temper and well . . .He can be a little . . . Um, intense."

Shaking his head, Sweets frowned, "He'd never kill someone unless that person was evil in his eyes. You're safe and you should know that. He may have threatened to kill you; but, there is no way he'd have done it. That's not who he is."

Smiling, Hodgins shook his head, "Yeah, well I know that now. That first year we worked together I didn't know that and I took him pretty seriously."

Returning Hodgins smile, Sweets nodded his head, "That's what he wanted. If you were afraid of him then he didn't have to be friends with you. As far as I can tell, he doesn't have a lot of friends and that's what he wants. I mean he can charm anyone when he wants to and he has a lot of casual friends. I just don't think he trusts people enough to allow them actually to be close friends."

Crossing his legs, Hodgins responded, "He has one best friend that I know of and that's all he needs. He and Dr. B have been best friends for a long time. Probably since the Gravedigger kidnapped her and me. That's why I couldn't understand his hooking up with Hannah in Afghanistan. I mean one minute he and Dr. B are best buds then the next thing I know they run away from each other. Then, he comes back and he has a girlfriend. Booth was kidding himself. He thought he could just conjure up someone to replace Dr. B but I knew that there was no way that was going to last. Booth wants only one woman in this world and it's not Hannah. . . . I guess he's got what he wants. I just wish they would announce it. All of this cloak and dagger stuff has caused nothing but trouble."

Smiling, Sweets leaned forward, "You know they need a lesson. Both of them need a lesson on how to treat their friends."

Shaking his head, Hodgins responded, "Uh, uh, nope count me out."

Shaking his head, Sweets clasped his hands on his knees, "Well what do you want to do about it?"

Smiling, Hodgins answered, "Not a damn thing. They're engaged. They didn't start this mess. Daisy was the one who started the rumor train and we all jumped on it feet first. Booth and Dr. B obviously wanted to keep their relationship a secret and we blew that out of the water. They were doing what they always do. They were keeping us all at arms length. It's what they do. Of course, I don't think either one of them realize just how much social media plays in people's lives now. They really need to stop kissing each other in public. Every time they do it, someone with a smart phone takes their picture and downloads it onto Facebook or tumblr. Heck, every fan of Dr. B must know she's engaged by now. Their secret is a lost cause."

Sighing, Sweets nodded his head, "Yeah, you're right. This whole thing got out of hand because we were too busy listening to gossip instead of minding out own business. It will be interesting to see what happens when Cullen and Caroline find out about their engagement."

Worried, Hodgins asked, "You aren't going to tell them are you? I think you shouldn't. They'll find out soon enough and when they do I think it will turn out alright but still there is a small possibility that it won't. I'm telling you if the FBI severs their relationship, those two are going to be hard to live with. I'd rather not have to deal with that right now."

Nodding his head, Sweets responded, "I won't say anything. I've embarrassed myself enough."

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Caroline, busy working on the Smythe case, heard her phone ring. Absently answering it, Caroline continued to read her report, "Caroline Julian."

"Mom, you'll never guess what I found out. Agent Booth is engaged to Temperance Brennan the author. Don't they work together?"

Shocked, Caroline exclaimed, "Merde."

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What do you think of my twists and turns? Reviews would really be appreciated thanks.

A/N: merde translates to shit.


	13. Chapter 13

Thank you for the wonderful reviews.

I don't own Bones.

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Stalking into Cullen's office, Caroline noticed the Deputy Director on the phone. Sitting on the chair in front of his desk, the prosecutor crossed her arms across her chest and glared at her friend. Cullen, feeling the waves of impatience rolling off of his friend ended his call quickly.

"Okay, what's got you so worked up?"

Staring at Cullen, Caroline frowned, "I need you to get on your computer and go to the Dr. Temperance Brennan Fanclub blog on tumblr."

Curious, Sam shook his head, "Why would I want to do that?"

Smirking, Caroline rocked her body on the chair a little, "It'll be self-explanatory."

Sighing, Sam turned to face his PC and stared at the keyboard, "What's the URL?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Caroline answered, "Just do a search on the tag Temperance Brennan once you're in tumblr. I'm pretty sure you'll see what you need to see once you scroll down."

Doing as he was told, Sam suddenly leaned back in his chair, "No. Now why. . ." Sighing, Cullen turned to look at Caroline, "He sat in this office and said he knew about the engagement; but, he didn't tell us he was the one she's engaged too. He played us."

Uncrossing her arms, Caroline leaned forward and placed her hand on his desk, "You know why too. What are we going to do about that non-fraternization rule?"

Sighing, Sam stared at his computer monitor, "I have no idea. I guess I'll get with the Director and see what he says. He'll have the final say anyway."

Frowning, Caroline pursed her lips, "I knew this was going to happen. I knew they couldn't be all Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth forever. Not since that kiss. No, Cher', this was going to happen."

Startled, Sam glared at the prosecutor, "What kiss?"

Glancing away from Cullen, Caroline smiled, "I bribed Dr. Brennan to kiss Agent Booth a few Christmases ago. I thought it would be funny to see them kiss when they didn't want to. It turns out they wanted to, they just didn't have the nerve. I thought they were going to be the victims of spontaneous combustion, that kiss was so hot."

Sighing, Cullen stared at Caroline, "So this is your fault? You gave them a taste of manna? Your sense of humor is a very dangerous thing, Caroline."

Shrugging her shoulders, Caroline frowned, "I know, believe me I know."

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Entering Cullen's office, Booth noticed Caroline sitting on the chair in front of the Deputy Director's desk. The creepy feeling of Déjà vu running down his back, Booth frowned. Closing the door behind him, Booth walked slowly across the room, trying to figure out if he was in trouble or not.

Stopping in front of Cullen's desk, Booth stood up straight and waited.

Staring at Booth, Cullen was amused to see the stoic look on Booth's face. "So Agent Booth, anything new going on in your life that we should know about?"

Cautious, Booth shrugged his shoulders, "Nothing that would be interesting."

Squinting his eyes at Booth, Cullen leaned back on his chair, "Oh, I don't know. Your engagement to Dr. Brennan seems pretty interesting to me."

Shaking his head, Booth responded, "I'm not engaged to Bones. I'm not engaged to anyone."

Reaching over to his PC and swinging the monitor around, Cullen tapped his space bar on the keyboard to wake up the screen.

Booth watched as the screen change from a shooting star screen saver to him kissing Brennan in a booth.

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth noted, "That's just a kiss. I'm not engaged."

Staring at this best agent, Cullen finally responded, "That's not what Dr. Sweets says. I talked to him a little while ago. He really didn't want to answer the question but he finally did. He said he confronted Dr. Brennan about her engagement and she didn't deny she was engaged. Now both of you have been seen and photographed kissing in public. I can't imagine Dr. Brennan would be engaged to someone else and yet be fine kissing you."

Shifting his gaze past Cullen's shoulder, Booth replied, "If Bones says she's engaged then she must be. I'd never call her a liar."

Shaking his head, Cullen sighed, "You're giving me a serious case of whiplash, Booth. You say you aren't engaged and then you say Dr. Brennan is. Your evasion isn't going to help you. In fact, it doesn't make any sense." Not getting a response, Cullen remarked, "You know we have a non-fraternization rule at the FBI."

Not saying anything, Booth continued to stare over Cullen's shoulder.

Shaking his head, Cullen leaned forward and placed his clasped hands on his desk, "You have an appointment with the Director in twenty minutes. You're going to have to do better than silence when you talk to him."

Swallowing, Booth shook his head, "This is getting out of hand. I'm not engaged."

Puzzled, Cullen shook his head, "Then what is going on?"

Sighing, Booth folded his arms across his chest, "Bones and I are seeing each other. I got carried away at a restaurant and kissed her. We aren't engaged though."

Exasperated, Cullen shook his head, "And yet Dr. Brennan says she is. One of you is lying."

Closing his eyes and then opening them, Booth spoke, "Bones decided to do an experiment about gossip. Once the gossip got serious and the rumor that she was engaged started to make the rounds, she decided to see how far it would go. Sweets confronted her about her engagement and she decided to not deny it. I just sort of went along with it."

Staring holes into Booth, Cullen asked, "What did she hope to get out of this mess?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth frowned, "A published paper."

Suddenly entering the conversation, Caroline asked, "You and Dr. Brennan are finally seeing each other?"

Nodding his head, Booth smiled, "Yes, we are."

Nodding her head, the prosecutor asked, "Do you want to be engaged?"

Not answering, Booth chewed his lower lip.

Standing, Caroline laughed, "You know Cher', Dr. Brennan wanted to experiment and that's fine. We all know she's a genius and us lesser mortals can't hope to understand her or keep up with her. Since it is an experiment, she must be willing to accept whatever outcome manifests itself."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth frowned, "She said that she doesn't have any expectations about the outcome."

Smirking, Caroline shifted her gaze towards Cullen. "I have to go. I'll talk to you in about a half hour or so." Turning towards Booth, Caroline frowned, "Don't forget your appointment with the Director."

Standing, she marched across the room.

Concerned Booth watched her leave. Cullen, shaking his head, sighed, "God, I hate it when she does that."

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	14. Chapter 14

Thank your continued support of this story. I really do appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

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Sitting in his office, Booth stared at the phone sitting on his desk. He'd tried to call Brennan several times and each time he'd been shunted to voice mail. Shaking his head, he returned his attention to the forms sitting on his desk. Exhaling deeply, Booth picked up his pen and started to fill them out.

Sweets, knocking on the doorframe of Booth's office, tried to smile and failed miserably. "Agent Booth, may I speak to you?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth placed his pen down and leaned back against his chair. Staring at Sweets he watched the younger man cross the room and sit on the chair across from him.

Clearing his throat, Sweets sighed, "I want to apologize. Daisy started this whole mess. She told someone about your engagement to Dr. Brennan and that person told me and it just snowballed from there. We should have all minded our own business and we didn't. I want you to know that the Deputy Director called me into his office this afternoon and at first I refused to tell him about my conversation with Dr. Brennan but he threatened to suspend me. He can do that. I, uh, told him about your engagement. Not that it was really news to him. He found out that it's on Dr. Brennan's fan sites. There are pictures of you kissing her in public. Still, I didn't help matters and I probably made it worse. At the very least I. . . ."

Holding up his hand, Booth shook his head, "It doesn't matter, Sweets. Like you said, Bones' fans have that particular nugget posted on their web sites. Daisy may have started it between you and Hodgins and whoever else was involved; but, Cullen and Caroline were going to find out about it sooner or later. . . When I say find out though, I don't mean our engagement. There is no engagement. I am not engaged to Bones. She is not engaged to me or to anyone else. She was irritated when she found out that there was a rumor going around that she was engaged and she was pretty angry when you told Cullen I might go postal about her being engaged."

Shaking his head, Sweets responded, "I never told him you'd go postal. I said that I was worried about your reaction and what you might do. That doesn't mean going postal. I told him I thought you might get drunk and maybe cuss out Dr. Brennan. That's not going postal . . ."

Interrupting Sweets, Booth held up his hands, "Whoa, I would never cuss out Bones. Never. I have never done that no matter how mad she makes me and I never will. What's the matter with you. I am not like that and you sure as hell shouldn't have told Cullen that."

Blushing furiously, Sweets swallowed, "You've been under so much pressure. I mean, your brain surgery, your stint in Afghanistan, your medical scare, Hannah breaking up with you. I just thought that it was possible that under those circumstances you might . . . not go postal, no never . . . You just you might get angry about Dr. Brennan moving on without you. . . . Because, well, because you love her. There I said it."

Sighing, Booth stared at Sweets.

Feeling very uncomfortable, Sweets looked down at his clasped hands, "I am sorry. I really am. I had your best interests at heart. I really did."

Relenting, Booth leaned forward and clasped his hands on the desk in front of him, "Yeah, I get that. I was supposed to see the Director about twenty minutes ago; but, he got called away for an urgent meeting."

Growing pale, Sweets asked, "Do you think he's going to sever your partnership with Dr. Brennan?"

Shaking his head, Booth smiled, "I don't know; but, I don't think so. They like our solve rate too much to tamper with it. I think they'll let it slide because they want Bones and no other agent will work with her."

Puzzled, Sweets stared at Booth, "You're kidding. What about the non-fraternization rule?"

Laughing, Booth answered, "From my personal experience, if the top brass wants something they either figure out a way to get rid of the rule or they find a legitimate way to ignore it." Shrugging his shoulders, Booth smiled, "Of course, if they want to take my partner away from me then they can. It won't affect my relationship with her. I won't be happy about it; but, I won't quit my job over it."

Sighing, Sweets smiled, "Awesome. I mean, wow, totally awesome. I just can't believe you two are finally seeing each other. I was starting to think that was never going to happen."

Smirking, Booth pointed at Sweets, "I'm not engaged. Bones is not engaged. I want you to talk to Daisy and Hodgins and straighten this mess out. Bones and me are a couple now. We've come to an agreement. Why we came to an agreement is beyond me. I'm as surprised as everyone else about the whole thing; but, I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth and that's a fact. I love her and I don't want anymore crap going on."

Nodding his head, Sweets smiled, "I'll go over to the Jeffersonian in a few minutes and straighten it out. I'll also apologize to Dr. Brennan. . . . You know, I can't fix those fan club sites of hers. They still think you two are engaged."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth frowned, "I don't care what about those web sites say. Bones can probably get her publicist to fix it. That's what they're for."

Standing, Sweets folded his hands in front of his stomach, "We're okay aren't we? I mean, are we still friends?"

Picking up his pen and turning his attention back to his forms, Booth nodded his head, "Just quit listening to gossip and for God's sake, if you can't then keep it to yourself."

Nodding his head, Sweets smiled, "Got it. Thanks, Booth."

Ignoring him, Booth frowned at the form and shook his head, "Damn paper work is going to drive me to early retirement."

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Standing in Brennan's office, Sweets tried to be appear to be contrite, "I really am sorry, Dr. Brennan. I hope you will forgive me."

Before she could answer, Brennan was interrupted by her phone ringing, "Dr. Brennan."

Answering the phone, she exclaimed, "I'm not engaged. That is just a rumor that has been spread by people making assumptions about something they saw and misinterpreted. . . . . What? No, that isn't possible . . . . I am not engaged. . . . I can't be . . . . When? . . . I will look into the matter. . . . No, I gave you my statement, I am not engaged."

Slowly placing her phone down, Brennan looked at Sweets. Curious, Sweets started to ask Brennan about the phone call when Angela ran into the office, "Oh Sweetie, I am so happy for you. I mean I knew already; but, to have it officially announced by the FBI and that . . . What? What's wrong?"

Shaking her head, Brennan replied, "I'm not engaged to be married."

Surprised, Angela shook her head, "Well, the FBI seems to think so. Miss Julian just had a press conference and a reporter asked her if it was true that you and Booth were engaged and if it would affect your relationship with the FBI and she said that they were aware of your engagement and they expected your partnership to remain unchanged."

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What do you think about this turn in the story?


	15. Chapter 15

This is the last chapter.

Thank you for the wonderful reviews.

I don't own Bones.

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Entering Caroline's office, Brennan noticed that the prosecutor was busy typing away on her keyboard. Stopping in front of her desk, the anthropologist stated, "I wish to speak to you."

Looking up, Caroline smiled, "I thought you might." Pointing at the chair in front of her, the prosecutor moved so that she was facing Brennan. Sitting back, Caroline remarked, "I assume you're here about the interview I gave today."

Nodding her head, Brennan cocked her head, "It would appear that you took liberties with the truth. Booth and I are not engaged."

Pursing her lips, Caroline frowned, "I asked Booth if he was engaged and he said no. I told him that Dr. Sweets talked to you and you hadn't denied that you were engaged. When I mentioned this to Booth he told me that he would never call you a liar. Now, normally I can follow what's going on between you two; but, today, I was at a loss to understand what was going on. Your fan sites say you are engaged, your friends say you're engaged and you told Dr. Sweets that you're engaged. Up until a few minutes ago, the only one denying it was Booth; but, then in a way he wasn't because he told me that if you said you were engaged then you were. To stir up the mess a little more he told Cullen and me that you two were in a relationship now. Now you come in and say you aren't engaged."

Nodding her head, Brennan frowned, "This started as a rumor and escalated from there."

Smirking, Caroline shook her head, "No, what this was, was an experiment that took on a life of it's own. Now the FBI takes a dim view of being used like that. The Director was being bombarded from the press about you and your partners' relationship status and he had a meeting with me and the Deputy Director about it. Instead of letting this drag out he decided to make it clear that you two are engaged at this time and your professional relationship will not change. You don't seem to understand that you are a world famous author and what you do is news. Instead of being able to take care of FBI business we were all caught up in a whirlwind of social media pressure."

Shrugging her shoulders, Brennan retorted, "And still, Booth and I are not engaged."

Staring at Brennan, Caroline sighed, "Listen Dr. Brennan, if you don't want to be engaged to Agent Booth then that of course is your prerogative. We were being inundated by the media. Your publicist was handing out no comments right and left and the press wasn't letting the story go. Apparently the press is afraid of you because they didn't seem to go after you. . . . You know I'd like to know how you manage that. Most famous people can't sneeze without the press jumping on the story and being overwhelmed by paparazzi. I don't know how you've managed to keep them at arms length; but, you could probably make a fortune selling that secret."

Shrugging her shoulders, Brennan explained, "I never comment no matter how persistent I am asked questions. The press learned a long time ago that if I don't care to recognize someone then I won't. After a few months of being followed around and not having anything to report the photographers finally decided to leave me alone. Booth also intimidated a few of them."

Smiling, Caroline shook her head, "We've all seen how that works for you and Booth. I just never realized that it would work on the press and not just us ordinary folk."

Not sure if she was being insulted, Brennan ignored Caroline's statement. "I would like you to retract your statement."

Shaking her head, Caroline smiled, "No, I don't think so. It would make me to appear incompetent or a liar. Now, this is what I think you should do. Leave the story alone. In a few weeks, quietly announce that your engagement is off and that will be that. I mean you don't really want me to have give out an interview telling everyone that you were experimenting on everyone and you let it be known that you were engaged when you weren't do you? That would be very bad publicity for the FBI, the Jeffersonian and you. Of course, it would also drag your boyfriend into this nasty fraud. It might not set well with the Director of the FBI that his Head of Major Crimes is a liar and not above playing games with the media."

Frowning, Brennan responded, "Booth didn't want anything to do with my experiment. In fact, he asked me to discontinue it a few times."

Shrugging her shoulders, Caroline remarked, "Perception is everything Cher'. He knew about it and he let it continue. If the press cannot trust his word then the Director may be forced to make some changes in the chain of command, if you get my drift. . . . No, if you really don't want to be engaged then just wait a few weeks and announce that due to personal reasons you are no longer engaged."

Standing, Brennan nodded her head, "Fine."

Surprised, Caroline parroted the scientist, "Fine? That's it? Fine?"

Smiling, Brennan turned and left the room.

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Entering Booth's office, Brennan noticed that her boyfriend was staring out of the window. Hearing her arrive in his office, he turned and smiled, "Hey, Bones. What brings you here?"

Sitting down on the chair in front of his desk, Brennan cleared her throat, "I've come to let you know that we are formally engaged."

Surprised, Booth stared at his girlfriend.

Concerned, Brennan shook her head, "Say something."

Clearing his throat, he rubbed the bottom of his chin, "What do you want me to say? Is this part of your experiment?"

Shaking her head, his girlfriend sighed, "No, apparently the FBI takes a dim view of scientific research. Caroline announced we were engaged to the press and she refuses to retract her statement. She wants us to consider ourselves engaged for a few weeks and then announce that the engagement is over."

Shaking his head slowly, Booth responded, "Nope, if we're engaged then we are engaged, period. If we go along with this and we tell people we're engaged then I won't break the engagement and I won't let you do it either. I'm not going to be part of any more experiments, Bones. We're engaged or we're not; so, you tell me, are we engaged or aren't we? No pretending, no games, no experiments, no false pretenses. You tell me, are we engaged?"

Frowning, Brennan studied Booth's face. Watching the stoic look on his face, she finally answered, "We're engaged."

His face lighting up in a grin, Booth stood up and walked around his desk. Pulling her into his arms, he shook his head, "This is a hell of a way to get you to marry me; but, I'll take it. I love you, Bones."

Leaning up and kissing him, Brennan smiled, "I love you too, Booth."

After a new minutes of intimate kissing, Booth released Brennan, "I told you your experiment might not turn out like you expected."

Shaking her head, Brennan corrected him, "I believe I told you I didn't have any expectations about the results of the experiment."

Shaking his head, Booth smiled, "Okay. Still, no take backs or do over's, Bones. This is it. As far as I'm concerned you're my fiancé."

Nodding her head, she repeated, "No take backs or do over's."

Glancing at her watch, Brennan turned to leave, "I have to go, Booth. I'll see you this evening."

Watching her leave, Booth called out, "I'm glad the experiment was a failure."

Not turning, Brennan muttered, "Who said it was a failure?"

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So what do you think of my story? I hope it entertained you.


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